There is a wealth of websites dedicated to “virtual fieldtrips”. I took a virtual tour of the__American Museum of Natural History.__ Students could spend a large amount of time searching this site. As a social studies teacher, I would allow them time to search freely within the site and then focus on one of the exhibitions. For this assignment, I would have students focus on the__Theodore Roosevelt Memorial__.
Students would spend time learning about the Central Park West, Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda, and the Memorial Hall. There are several additional links from the website which would allow students to learn more about TR’s life, milestones and writing. Several videos are included that detail his early life and those that influenced him in his focus on conservation. The site also links to a__Tumblr__ focused on TR.
The virtual field trip could be used as an introduction to several different lessons. Students could use the information they gathered from the AMNH and create a Glogster or Prezi. The lesson could be paired with Language Arts and each student would write a journal as if they were Theodore Roosevelt (could choose from various points in his life). The virtual field trip could be an introduction to a lesson on conversation and students would complete additional research on Roosevelt’s conservation efforts. The students could create a campaign to save the bison or present about the impact of Roosevelt’s conservation efforts on today.
Virtual field trips are an excellent tool for students to “visit” places they would not otherwise get to see. They can serve as a standalone lesson or as an engagement piece to additional lessons. The possibilities are endless.
Field Trip #2
I chose to take a virtual field trip to Ellis Island. The History Channel’s website has a section dedicated to Ellis Island (__http://www.history.com/topics/ellis-island__). The site has detailed history of Ellis Island, as well as a timeline from past to present day. What makes this site very attractive to use in the classroom is the number of videos that are available. I would first have students watch Deconstructing History: Ellis Island__http://www.history.com/topics/ellis-island/videos#deconstructing-history-ellis-island__. This video would serve as a great introduction to Ellis Island. It is engaging and includes many facts while not being overwhelming. Next I would direct students to Arrival at Ellis Island__http://www.history.com/topics/ellis-island/videos#arrival-at-ellis-island__. In this video, students will hear firsthand accounts of immigrants talking about their first view of the Statute of Liberty as they approached Ellis Island. The next video, Detained at Ellis Island__http://www.history.com/topics/ellis-island/videos#detained-at-ellis-island__ includes information and stories from people who were detained at Ellis Island. After students viewed the three videos, they would be given time to explore the site and view some of the other videos available. The virtual field trip could be used as an introduction to several different lessons. I may use this as an introduction to the lesson I completed on interviewing a family member of a different generation. This could also be an introduction to a unit on family history and creating a family tree as many Americans can trace their history back to Ellis Island. Several of the videos included talk about citizenship and could be springboard for a lesson on the citizenship exam. Students could create a VoiceThread sharing what they think it would have felt like coming through Ellis Island.
There is a wealth of websites dedicated to “virtual fieldtrips”. I took a virtual tour of the__American Museum of Natural History.__ Students could spend a large amount of time searching this site. As a social studies teacher, I would allow them time to search freely within the site and then focus on one of the exhibitions. For this assignment, I would have students focus on the__Theodore Roosevelt Memorial__.
Students would spend time learning about the Central Park West, Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda, and the Memorial Hall. There are several additional links from the website which would allow students to learn more about TR’s life, milestones and writing. Several videos are included that detail his early life and those that influenced him in his focus on conservation. The site also links to a__Tumblr__ focused on TR.
The virtual field trip could be used as an introduction to several different lessons. Students could use the information they gathered from the AMNH and create a Glogster or Prezi. The lesson could be paired with Language Arts and each student would write a journal as if they were Theodore Roosevelt (could choose from various points in his life). The virtual field trip could be an introduction to a lesson on conversation and students would complete additional research on Roosevelt’s conservation efforts. The students could create a campaign to save the bison or present about the impact of Roosevelt’s conservation efforts on today.
Virtual field trips are an excellent tool for students to “visit” places they would not otherwise get to see. They can serve as a standalone lesson or as an engagement piece to additional lessons. The possibilities are endless.
Field Trip #2
I chose to take a virtual field trip to Ellis Island. The History Channel’s website has a section dedicated to Ellis Island (__http://www.history.com/topics/ellis-island__). The site has detailed history of Ellis Island, as well as a timeline from past to present day. What makes this site very attractive to use in the classroom is the number of videos that are available. I would first have students watch Deconstructing History: Ellis Island__http://www.history.com/topics/ellis-island/videos#deconstructing-history-ellis-island__. This video would serve as a great introduction to Ellis Island. It is engaging and includes many facts while not being overwhelming. Next I would direct students to Arrival at Ellis Island__http://www.history.com/topics/ellis-island/videos#arrival-at-ellis-island__. In this video, students will hear firsthand accounts of immigrants talking about their first view of the Statute of Liberty as they approached Ellis Island. The next video, Detained at Ellis Island__http://www.history.com/topics/ellis-island/videos#detained-at-ellis-island__ includes information and stories from people who were detained at Ellis Island. After students viewed the three videos, they would be given time to explore the site and view some of the other videos available.
The virtual field trip could be used as an introduction to several different lessons. I may use this as an introduction to the lesson I completed on interviewing a family member of a different generation. This could also be an introduction to a unit on family history and creating a family tree as many Americans can trace their history back to Ellis Island. Several of the videos included talk about citizenship and could be springboard for a lesson on the citizenship exam. Students could create a VoiceThread sharing what they think it would have felt like coming through Ellis Island.